The best Cosby sweater of all?

By Lauriel Cleveland, Special to CNN

Updated 1:37 PM ET, Wed July 10, 2013

Photos: Beloved Cosby sweaters8 photos

The Cosby sweater, then and now – Comedian Bill Cosby, who played Dr. Cliff Huxtable in the 1980s sitcom "The Cosby Show," launched a poll on his website in 2013 asking fans to vote for their favorite "Cosby Show" sweater. It was one example of the lasting impact these sweaters have had on fans.

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Photos: Beloved Cosby sweaters8 photos

The Cosby sweater, then and now – As a child, college student Kahsa Teum, pictured on the right in a 2012 photo, played dress-up with her parents' clothes. Oftentimes, she would sport her father's Cosby sweaters.

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Photos: Beloved Cosby sweaters8 photos

The Cosby sweater, then and now – "I found the Cosby sweaters to still be more comfortable (and, in my opinion, more aesthetically pleasing) than anything else that I owned," Teum wrote in an email. "They've been a staple in my wardrobe ever since!"

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The Cosby sweater, then and now – One favorite Cosby sweater, according to fans, is this one featuring knitted runners. It also represents one of Cosby's greatest passions, running track.

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Photos: Beloved Cosby sweaters8 photos

The Cosby sweater, then and now – Dave George, a project manager from Cincinnati, posted this 1990s photo on Instagram as an example of how the Cosby sweater phenomenon influenced kids' fashion at the time as well.

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Photos: Beloved Cosby sweaters8 photos

The Cosby sweater, then and now – Brendan Conroy proudly wore his Cosby sweater on Instagram, describing himself as "a goofy dude doing what I choose to do."

The Cosby sweater, then and now – Cosby mostly dismisses the sweater phenomenon as "youthful people" having too much time on their hands, according to interviews.

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Story highlights

Comedian Bill Cosby asks fans to vote for their favorite Cosby sweaters on his website

The funnyman, 75, is known for wearing unique sweaters in the popular 1980s sitcom.

Sweaters vying to be "The Champion Stitch"

It might be summer, but Bill Cosby has sweaters on his mind.

The comedian, best known for playing Dr. Cliff Huxtable in NBC's groundbreaking hit, "The Cosby Show," is asking fans to vote for their favorite eclectic sweater among those he wore.

As of Wednesday, an argyle sweater with track runners across the front leads the poll on BillCosby.com. Sweaters compete in categories including "The Crew, "The Sweat," and "The Fleecy," each one vying to be "The Champion Stitch."

Voting begins again on July 12. After voting, fans will automatically be entered into a drawing to receive an autographed book by the 75-year-old comedian.

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Cosby sweaters have become a cultural phenomenon since Cosby first began wearing them in the 1980s. Social media sites, ugly sweater parties, fashion designers and even pop indie artists have celebrated iconic Cosby-sweater look.

Several fans said on Twitter of the tournament, "Easily the best thing I've seen online today."

Cosby sweaters have been the source of controversy, too. In March, Kiley Kmiec, co-founder of the website Cosbysweaters.com, received a cease and desist from Cosby's legal representatives, who alleged the site was a violation of his intellectual property, Gawker reported. The site didn't have anything to do with Cosby's sweaters, it was just a funny name, said Kmiec, who complied and changed the name of the website to nextimpulsesports.com.

Representatives for Cosby did not respond to requests for comment.

Dutch designer Koos van den Akker, forever linked by his 1980s designs to the Cosby sweater phenomenon, told Fashionista.com that he created the sweaters by simply throwing fabrics together.

"It is all pieces of fabric put together, collaged, totally free-form on a shape that is basically a huge T-shirt, and it was always different," he said. "But he liked it, and it gave him a certain style."

If you can't get enough of the argyles, cashmere and cardigans, a separate Tumblr, The Cosby Sweater Project, features illustrations that break down all of Cosby's wacky designs. Creator Kelly Tucker was drawn to the brightly colored patterns of the sweaters featured on the show.

Tucker is also ahead of the game in the voting polls.

"I have been voting since the beginning, though, it's been really hard for me to choose just one."